Review: The Offering – Home

Style: EVERYTHING (mixed vocals)
Review by: Jonah
Recommended for fans of: Slipknot, King Diamond, Whitechapel
Country: Massachusetts, United States
Release date: 2 August, 2019

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This review was originally published in the August 2019 issue of The Progressive Subway.]

As I sit here and try to write this review I’m reminded of something a wise man once told me: “There’s no way to describe The Offering without it sounding absolutely terrible.”

The wise man was me, and I’m going to spurn my own advice and try to describe this masterpiece anyway. The Offering hail from Boston, feature multiple graduates of Berklee School of Music, and play something that I can best describe as a fusion of power metal, nu-metal, deathcore, metalcore, death metal, thrash and progressive metal. If that sounds like an absolute garbage fire to you right now that’s fine, it did to me too. But then I turned on the album. 

I don’t know what kind of witchcraft this band cast before writing this, but it worked. This madcap assortment of styles and genres has lead to one of the first albums I’ve heard in a damn long while that I can truly consider genre-transcending in the best possible way. The vocals swap between deathcore gutturals, death screams, thrashy shouts, metalcore cleans and sweeping power metal operatics at the drop of a hat and every, single, line is perfection. The guitar is equally varied as it flies between Slipknot chugs, the occasional tremolo, and some of the most tasteful solos I’ve heard in a metal record in quite some time. Then once it’s done all that it’ll switch to power metal galloping for a bit before a gnarly core breakdown. The drumming is technical as all hell and fits every section perfectly. The only real complaint I have is that the bass is so far back in the mix it’s functionally inaudible, but for once I don’t really find that impacting my enjoyment of the album one bit.

From a production standpoint things are a tad loud, and as I said the bass is missing, but otherwise the sound is crisp and lovely. I really can’t pick out a single weak song on the album, and I even would argue that the bonus track is essential, as it honestly contains some of the best clean vocals on the entire album. There are tiny things I can nitpick about Home, but in all honesty it’s one of my favorite albums I’ve ever heard, and I fully suggest anyone who enjoys anything metal, even if it’s absolutely 0 of the genres I listed above, give this at least one spin. It’ll surprise and amaze.

Recommended tracks: Ultraviolence, Failure, Home
You may also like: idk this is one of a kind
Final verdict: 10/10

Related links: Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archive page

Label: Century Media Records – YouTube | Facebook

The Offering is:
– Alexander Richichi (vocals)
– Nishad George (guitars)
– Spencer Metala (bass)
– Steve Finn (drums)